Theft of dagger gifted to Jawaharlal Nehru: Fingerprints of 7 found at spothttps://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/theft-of-dagger-gifted-to-jawaharlal-nehru-fingerprints-of-7-found-at-spot-2773550/

The theft came to light when an attendant noticed a broken glass frame in the museum Tuesday afternoon and alerted officials, who contacted the police.

Fingerprints of seven persons were found at the spot from where a dagger gifted to former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru by Saudi Arabia was stolen, said sources Wednesday. Police questioned at least 60 people, including employees of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library and labourers engaged in renovation work on a portion of the government-run museum, the sources added. The theft was reported Monday.

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“Fingerprints of some of the employees and others were collected and sent to experts. Police are hoping to find a match, or multiple ones, with the seven found at the crime scene to make headway,” said a source. “The investigation is now focusing on these seven persons.”

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The dagger was in a glass frame in the gifts gallery, which does not have CCTV cameras. Sources said there were more articles, including a gifted box from Pakistan and a coin from Cambodia, in the same frame but those were intact. The fingerprints were found on broken glass frames and articles not missing from the frame, said a source.

The gifts gallery is a few steps from the bedroom where Nehru breathed his last on May 27, 1964. His house was turned into a museum after his death. The museum is in the highly secure Lutyens’ Zone at Teen Murti Marg.